1 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) APRIL 19, 2000 NRG ENERGY, INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) DELAWARE (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) 333-33397 41-1724239 (Commission File Number) (IRS Employer Identification No.) 1221 NICOLLET MALL, SUITE 700 MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55403 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Registrant's telephone number, including area code 612-373-5300 (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

2 ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS On April 19, 2000, NRG Energy, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Northern States Power Company, filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of up to 18 percent of its common stock. The maximum aggregate offering price of the common stock covered by the registration statement is $600 million. All proceeds from the offering will remain with NRG Energy. The press release announcing this approval is filed with this Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.7 See "Item 7. Exhibits." Item 7. Exhibits. The following exhibits are filed with this report on Form 8-K: Exhibit No. Description 99.7 Press release issued April 19, 2000 of NRG Energy, Inc.

3 SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. NRG Energy, Inc (Registrant) By /s/ Leonard A. Bluhm Leonard A. Bluhm Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer) Dated: April 19, 2000

1 NRG NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE NRG ENERGY FILES REGISTRATION WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION MINNEAPOLIS (April 19, 2000) NRG Energy, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Northern States Power Company (NYSE:NSP), announced today that it has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an initial public offering of 18 percent of its common stock. The maximum aggregate offering price of the common stock covered by the registration statement is $600 million. All proceeds from the offering will remain with NRG Energy. The offering will be managed by Salomon Smith Barney Inc. Additional underwriters include Credit Suisse First Boston; ABN AMRO Rothschild; Banc of America Securities LLC; Goldman, Sachs & Co.; Lehman Brothers; Merrill Lynch & Co.; and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter. A registration statement relating to the securities in this offering has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time that the registration statement becomes effective. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful, prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. NRG Energy (www.nrgenergy.com) is a leading global energy company primarily engaged in the acquisition, development, ownership and operation of power generation facilities. NRG Energy owns all or a portion of 57 power generation projects with a total generating capacity of more than 23,000 MW; its net ownership interest in these projects exceeds 13,000 MW. NRG Energy's operations utilize such diverse fuel sources as natural gas, oil, coal and coal seam methane, biomass, landfill gas, and hydro, as well as refuse derived fuel and geothermal energy. Certain information included in this press release contains statements that are forward-looking. Such forward-looking information involves risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect anticipated results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of NRG Energy. For more information regarding these risks and uncertainties, review NRG Energy's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. CONTACT: Frank Rapley Communications Director 612.373.8892 Dan Dokken Executive Director, Investor Relations 612.373.5336